Features Overview

Radar Overlay
Radar overlay is a must have for any serious boater wishing to improve situational awareness and safety. Radar overlay vastly improves the ease of understanding and interpreting radar images. There is nothing like it and once a boater uses radar overlay, thereís no going back to an old style radar.

How It Works
The Rose Point Radar products are similar to traditional radars. The transceiver creates and broadcasts a signal which is transmitted by the antenna. The antenna forms a fan shaped beam that sweeps 360 degrees every 2.2 seconds. The sweeping antenna transmits and receives short pulses of microwave energy with either 1024, or 2048 cycles per revolution. Each received pulse is digitized by the interface box where it is converted into individual pixels, approximately 600 per pulse, and then transmitted to the PC via an Ethernet connection.

The software receives the radar data from the interface box and converts it into an image by displaying each pixel on the screen. The software computes the proper location of each pixel by using heading and position information provided by a digital compass and GPS.

Heading or position errors can cause image misalignment. Experience has shown that a heading sensor with plus or minus one degree accuracy is adequate for most applications. A Differential GPS or WASS GPS is recommended for accurate positioning of the image.

Software
Activation of the radar features in Coastal Explorer is included with the purchase of the radar from Rose Point or an authorized reseller. The radar features only appear after the radar has been detected on the network. The radar controls are found in cruise mode and appear at the top of the screen in simple to understand and easy use buttons.

Initialization is required the first time the radar is used. Some of the terms and concepts may seem foreign to new radar users, but the calibration is fairly easy to accomplish by following the instructions in the user guide. Presets are established so that the radar can produce the best possible image on subsequent usage. The software includes a simple Radar Calibration window that contains options for Networking, Controls, Installation offset, Gain and STC presets, Tuning, Transmission Trigger Delay and sector Blanking.

Can Coastal Explorer be used with Nobeltec Radars?
The answer in most cases is yes, however older Insight Radar units are not supported. The original Nobeltec radar units used RS 422 to communicate with the PC and also output a raster image format, rather than a scan line interface used today. If your Nobeltec radar uses Ethernet then it is supported in Coastal Explorer. In order to activate the radar features for usage with a Nobeltec (or other) scanner, users must purchase the Radar Add-on. The suggested retail price for the add-on is $399. It can be purchased directly from Rose Point, or one of their authorize resellers. The Nobeltec 2KW radars also use the old style communication and image format and are not supported. The Radar Add-on is not required for Rose Point ECS which includes the radar features.

IIlustration

Feature List

• Radar Overlay on a Navigation Chart


• Radar in a stand alone window


• Gain adjustment


• SEA Clutter (STC) adjustment


• Automatic range adjustment


• Interference rejection


• Main Bang Suppression


• Guard Zones


• Electronic Bearing Lines


• Variable range marker


• Parallel index lines


• North Up, Course Up and Heading up display


• Auto Park at preset parking angle